Obama weighs trial venue

WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing growing opposition to its plans to hold the Sept. 11 terrorist trial in New York City, the Obama administration is considering moving the proceedings elsewhere.

Two administration officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said today the Department of Justice is drawing up plans for possible alternate locations to try professed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four alleged accomplices in case Congress or local officials prevent the trial from being held in Manhattan.

The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the deliberation.

Attorney General Eric Holder announced last year that the trial would be held in Manhattan federal court, generating stiff opposition in Congress and in New York.

Terrorists flew two commercial airliners into the twin towers of New York’s World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, destroying the buildings and killing more than 2,700 people. An airliner also was flown into the Pentagon just outside Washington that day, and another plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania when passengers tried to overtake the hijackers.

The federal courthouse is in lower Manhattan, the same area of the city where the World Trade Center once stood.

Word that the administration is considering a backup plan for its most high-profile terrorism trial comes after President Barack Obama and Holder have spent weeks on the defensive about their handling of terrorism threats.

The administration has admitted intelligence missteps leading up to the failed Christmas Day bombing of a U.S.-bound airliner, and the case re-ignited a debate in Congress about whether such terror suspects should face civilian or military justice.

Moving the trial would be a major political setback for the administration’s oft-stated aims in the fight against terrorism.

The officials did not say where else the trial might be held, but others have suggested an unpopulated island near Manhattan, or nearby military installations.

Obama has maintained his support for a civilian trial. White House spokesman Bill Burton said yesterday that the president is committed to seeing Mohammed and his alleged accomplices brought to justice and believes that can be done successfully and securely in a federal court.

“Currently, our federal jails hold hundreds of convicted terrorists, and the president’s opinion has not changed on that,” Burton said.

But when pressed by reporters to say specifically whether the administration was considering a new venue, Burton referred them to the Justice Department.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who originally supported plans to hold the trial in Manhattan, reversed his position this week and called Holder to lobby for moving the proceedings. The city has claimed it will cost them hundreds of millions of dollars to provide security for a court case that is expected to last at least a year.

After Bloomberg’s reversal, lawmakers stepped up their opposition as well. Rep. Mike Pence said today on ABC television’s “Good Morning America” that it is “a terrible idea to return the mastermind of 9/11 to the scene of the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history.”

The Republican said he believes some congressional Democrats will join Republicans in seeking legislation to block funding for security-related costs if the administration doesn’t back down.

Bloomberg said on his weekly radio show today that he had spoken with several “high-level” people in the administration about his concerns.

He said the administration understands and is “trying to do something.”

“I said it would be phenomenally expensive, and it is very disruptive to people who live in the area and businesses in the area,” Bloomberg said of his conversations with administration officials. “So the economic impact is detrimental, and nobody knows how big. And it would be better to do it elsewhere if they could find a venue.”

Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican, said yesterday he has introduced a bill that would prohibit the use of Justice Department funds to try Guantanamo detainees in federal civilian courts. Hours later, New York Gov. David Paterson said he wants discussion with federal officials on the issue of venue.